Unemployment Benefits May Be Extended for Unemployed

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Some jobless Americans are one step closer to keeping their unemployment benefits.

Tuesday the House of Representatives passed a bill to extend unemployment compensation for more than a million people who could lose their benefits by the end of the year. The 13-week extension would only apply to jobless workers in the District of Columbia and 27 states with unemployment rates of 8.5 percent or higher.

The bill passed the House of Representatives, 331 to 83. Similar legislation is pending in the Senate.